Debts & Diets: Slim Your Waist and Fatten Your Wallet
In my magical fairyland of adventure, there is a pill you can take that will transfer unwanted body girth to your wallet or purse – just swallow the dose and voila! You look like Christie Brinkley and no Mercedes is good enough for your garage.
But hallucinations aside, there are some ways that debt management and health management (I don’t like the term weight loss
) are linked.
Good Advice for All Goals
Turns out, the age-old advice you’ve heard spouted from magazines and the health segments on news shows could just as well be about eliminating debt. Watch this:
- Focus on permanent changes. Crash diets don’t work, and neither do crash savings plans. Sure, you can stop buying toilet paper, but only for so long. So rather than trying to find quick fixes, focus on long-term goals (e.g. buying store brands at the grocery store).
- Take it slowly. Significant, lasting change doesn’t happen overnight (unless you live the aforementioned fairy land). Don’t expect it to. Take time to assess your debt (or health), then make the necessary changes over time (e.g. save small amounts of money rather than buying lottery tickets).
- Retrain your
gimme
gene. Learn to resist the urge to buy extra stuff. When you’re at the checkout counter, the merchandise looks tempting because it’s designed to. If you must, shop with a buddy who you can count on to ask if you really need something. - Tell some people. Okay, I know debt can be embarrassing. But telling a few close friends that you’re trying to improve your finances can be inspiring – your motivation to maintain becomes a (more immediate) matter of saving face as well as a (vaguer) matter of saving your finances.
- Reward yourself. As with building health, your finance rewards shouldn’t be splurges that cancel your progress. But remember to celebrate the small steps along the road to progress with little treats.
Other Money-Health Links
And here are some steps you can take today to whittle your waist and fatten your savings account:
- Walk more. Drive less. Easy.
- Eat at home. Restaurant portions are big and expensive.
- Quit the gym. Do you ever even go? Besides, now that you’re walking all the time, who needs it?
- Buy whole foods. Pre-cut veggies and fruits may look yummy, but they’re much more expensive than the real thing. You’ll get more good food for your dollars.
- Turn down the heat. Dance for a while to warm up. Think you’ll look silly? I just confessed to believing in fairies!
Remember: Debt management is not easy, but it is doable if you’re committed, determined and willing to make some sacrifices!
If you need help getting your debt under control learn how filing bankruptcy may help.
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